Toms River East sets up final rematch vs. Massapequa Coast with LLWS berth on line

Toms River East sets up final rematch vs. Massapequa Coast with LLWS berth on line

Toms River East of New Jersey defeated Fairfield American of Connecticut, 3-1, in an elimination game Wednesday night in Bristol, Conn., to advance to the Little League Metro Region championship game.

Toms River East will square off against New York’s Massapequa Coast Little League in the region championship on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN), with a trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport on the line.

Logan Macchia set an immediate tone Wednesday for Toms River, hitting a two-run, opposite-field home run in the first inning to stake his team to a 2-0 lead.

Macchia, also the team’s starting pitcher, dominated Fairfield’s bats with 5 ²/₃ stellar innings, allowing just one run before exiting due to a pitch count. The turning point of the game occurred in the second inning, when Fairfield loaded the bases with nobody out. But Macchia weathered the storm, notching a pop out and a pair of strikeouts to escape unscathed.

The Massapequa Coast Little League team will face Toms River East on Friday with a berth in the Little League Word Series on the line.The Massapequa Coast Little League team will face Toms River East on Friday with a berth in the Little League Word Series on the line.Photo courtesy of coach Roland Clark.

Drew Kane homered in the top of the third for Fairfield. Michael Mendes scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third for Toms River’s final run.

In the final frame, Toms River threw a pair of baserunners out at second base — one attempting to stretch a single into a double, and another trying to advance on a wild pitch — to preserve the lead and secure the victory.

Toms River East and Massapequa Coast played in the Metro Region’s opening game on Saturday, with Massapequa winning, 6-3.

Now, the stage is set for a rematch.